On Saturday October 21, from 4-5:30 p.m. at the Chester Town Hall Auditorium, Arnold P. Stoddard – the last Fire Chief of Chester's Fire District No. 2, the historic and distinctive twin-towered firehouse, known familiarly as the Yosemite Firehouse, located on Route 103/Depot Street – will show and discuss pages from his album containing photos and newspaper articles of fires in Chester and surrounding towns (including Proctorsville, Springfield, and Weathersfield). Chief Stoddard will tell side stories and details of some of the memorable blazes in the album, covering almost 30 years of fires from 1955 to 1983.

The public is invited to attend the event to hear Stoddard's firsthand accounts and to examine the pertinent album pages, which will be displayed on tables for viewing both before and after the program. Past firemen and local residents may want to share their own memories of those blazes at the end of the program. Plans for the proposed museum will also be displayed.

In 2022 Chief Stoddard donated his two albums of photos and clippings regarding fires, firemen, and fire equipment to the newly formed Friends of Yosemite Firehouse Museum, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization working with other entities to rehabilitate the building into a fire museum. The Friends group invites the public to become involved in this important process and welcomes tax-deductible donations, contributions of pertinent memorabilia, and volunteers. For further information, please contact Friends of Yosemite Firehouse Museum, PO Box 318, Chester, VT 05143.

Event Info

Nov 11, 2024, 11 AM to 12 PM

Nov 11, 2024, 11 AM

Nov 15, 2024, 7 to 8:30 PM